Hicks Field
| Hicks Field Camp Taliaferro Field #1 | |
|---|---|
| Located near Saginaw, Texas | |
Hicks Field, Texas, 1918 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Pilot training airfield |
| Controlled by | Royal Flying Corps (1916) Air Service, United States Army (1917–1920) United States Navy (1920–1940) United States Army Air Forces (1940–1945) |
| Condition | Redeveloped as industrial park |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 32°54′44″N 97°24′05″W / 32.91222°N 97.40139°W Hicks Field 32°54′58″N 97°25′23″W / 32.91611°N 97.42306°W Bombing Target |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1916 |
| In use | 1916–1945 (military), 1945–ca.1976 (civil airfield) |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Training Section, Air Service (World War I) Army Air Force Training Command (World War I) |
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Hicks Field (Camp Taliaferro Field #1) is a former World War I military airfield, located 5.6 miles (9.0 km) north-northwest of Saginaw, Texas. It operated as a training field for the Air Service, United States Army, from 1917 until 1920. It was one of 32 Air Service training camps established after the United States' entry into World War I in April 1917.
After the United States' entry into the war, General John J. Pershing invited the British Royal Flying Corps to establish training fields for the training of American and Canadians volunteers in Texas because of its mild weather. After looking at sites in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Wichita Falls, and Midland, three sites were established in 1917 in the Fort Worth vicinity (known as the "Flying Triangle".), those being Hicks Field (#1), Barron Field (#2), and Benbrook Field (#3).
Canadians named the training complex Camp Taliaferro after Walter Taliaferro, a US aviator who had been killed in an accident. Camp Taliaferro was headquartered under the direction of the Air Service, United States Army, which had an administration center near what is now the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.
After the closing of Hicks Field, a new airport, called Hicks Airfield, opened.